


Stay Down

by FemaleSpock



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi - Fandom, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Abuse of Authority, Blow Jobs, Boot Worship, Dreamscapes, Dubious Consent, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Kylo Ren is a terrible strategist, M/M, Power Dynamics, Power Imbalance, Power Reversal, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, Torture, Violence, transactional sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-16
Updated: 2017-12-16
Packaged: 2019-02-15 08:05:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13026789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FemaleSpock/pseuds/FemaleSpock
Summary: Kylo tries to break Hux. Hux refuses to be broken. Kylo tries again. And again.Set post-TLJ.





	Stay Down

**Author's Note:**

> Please look at the tags before reading.

Supreme Leader Kylo Ren looked down at General Hux with a sneer. This was the third time this week he’d had to throw him to the ground for his insolence and as ever, he had fallen like a ragdoll. His face had planted straight on the ground, his arms splayed to the side, useless to protect him. He could almost be mistaken for a pile of clothing like this, his increasing weight loss shrinking him down to almost nothing. The sooner he realised Hux realised that he _was_ nothing, the better. Then they could move on from this tiresome exercise.

Hux pushed up with his hands, scrambling to his feet, swaying a little as he caught his bearings. There was a stream of bright blood running down his nose. The violence of it was especially pleasing set against skin that was so pale it was almost translucent. The nose was swollen, crooked: broken again. Black eyes completed the look, though the bruising was barely different to the dark circles that hung below Hux’s eyes.

The first few times this had happened, Hux had reached for a handkerchief to daintily mop at his face. Now, he never bothered. Everyone on this ship had seen him like this dozens of times, bloodied and bruised. It was a victory - a sign that he was breaking Hux in, getting him used to his new reality – but only a small one. He might not have bothered to wipe off the blood but his expression had returned back to normal: lip curled, condescension in his eyes like he knew something Kylo didn't.

The rest of the officers on the bridge didn’t look at Hux directly, as though they were afraid that they could catch Kylo’s ire by doing so, but Kylo could feel their respect for him and their resentment of Kylo.

It was infuriating.

He gave his orders, resisting the urge to floor Hux again as he repeated them back to the men, and stormed off the bridge.

If this was how Hux wanted it, then so be it.

 

* * *

 

Kylo paced in his room. Being the new Supreme Leader meant controlling everything and everyone in the Order. Being the new Supreme Leader meant making all of the plans. Being the Supreme Leader meant freedom.

Freedom was dizzying after years of servitude but he would not be held down again. He would take what was his by any means necessary. If brute force wasn’t working, then he would have to use subtler methods. Struck with a flash of brilliance, Kylo went to the computer and pulled up the First Order’s regulations for the torture of prisoners. Hux had broken countless prisoners in his time and now his very techniques would be used to bend him to Kylo’s will.

There was something poetic about that.

He decided to start with sleep deprivation. He slept so little already, it would probably take no more than a week to really send him over the edge. Hux used to set up devices that would beep loudly every time their ‘guests’ closed their eyes but Kylo had a far more delicate instrument. Kylo had the Force.

The next time he spoke out of turn, he might just find his rest disturbed.

 

* * *

 

Kylo didn’t have to wait long for the opportunity.

“Look…Supreme Leader…we’re wasting our time pursuing the dregs of the Resistance. The Republic is in chaos. We should be turning our attention to establishing our hold on our Empire.” The phrase ‘Supreme Leader’ always seemed to stick in Hux’s teeth when he addressed Kylo.  

“Our Empire, General? Every word reveals your presumptions.”

Hux stood and stared at him, dead-eyed, waiting for the blow that never came.

“You will learn not to question me, General,” Kylo said. “I have made my decision.”

Hux blinked, considered, and then spoke again. “And when that decision leads to the destruction of the Order?”

It took everything in Kylo not to send his smug face flying into the door but he managed it. The instant gratification of immediate punishment was too good for Hux. He could wait for it. “It seems that I have to give you another lesson but it seems that we’ve run out of time. Divert resources to tracking the Resistance.”

Though his face barely changed, Kylo could see the exasperated superiority on Hux’s face as he comm-ed the bridge. “Divert all available resources to tracking the Resistance,” he said, a snarl in his voice.

Oh, Kylo was going to enjoy this.

 

* * *

 

What Kylo hadn’t anticipated about this plan was just how long he was going to have to wait for Hux to even attempt to sleep. With his injuries, he should be sleeping more than ever, but despite having finished his shift hours ago, he had spent the entirety of that time working at his desk. On what, Kylo hadn’t been able to see at first. He hadn’t wanted his presence to be noticeable to Hux until he slept, so as not to ruin the surprise but, after hours of meditation, it had all become very clear to him regardless: he was writing up military plans. Military plans that contradicted the course of action that Kylo had expressly ordered him to pursue.

There was no mention of mutiny but Hux must have been thinking it. He was just arrogant enough to believe that he could depose Kylo even after every defeat he’d suffered at his hands. That illusion would be shattered tonight.

Finally, after a lot more waiting, Hux put away the datapad and went to lie on the bed. Kylo could feel exhaustion that went right to the bone. It was more than a few nights’ missed sleep. It felt as though Hux had never had a moment of rest in his entire life. Even alone, he was always fighting. Kylo stopped for a moment, wondering just how it was that Hux was still alive. He was so weak. How was he still hanging on after all this time? Why didn’t he just give in already? He brushed the thoughts aside to concentrate on the task at hand. In this state, it wouldn’t take much. He was already hanging by a thread…

Hux lay awake for an unfeasibly long time without Kylo having to do so much as lift a finger. His view, the dark grey of the ceiling above his bed kept flickering before Kylo’s vision. Hux didn’t move once the entire time. Kylo would have thrashed against the sheer tedium of it but Hux did nothing, his mind almost blank as he just lay there. No thoughts, just one feeling: despair. It was all around him, surrounding him like a miasma. It had been there when Hux had done the reports, Kylo realised, just drowned out by the drive to complete the work.

It would be a mercy for Kylo to kill him. Unfortunately for him, Kylo was not feeling particularly merciful.

Only when Hux’s eyelids felt as heavy as anchors did he close his eyes and start to sleep. For the first few moments, Hux’s mind was much the same, flat and monotone, before Kylo felt the sudden pull into a garishly bright world of disjointed imagery. He saw a faceless man with fire burning where his head should be, a crop in his hand, swatting uselessly at the air. Kylo followed a road made of bloodied tissue, each spot of blood growing ever wider as he followed. He saw…his own body in the snow, face sliced apart. Kylo stopped for a moment to regard himself with detached horror. This wasn’t him, was it? He looked smaller than Hux even, weak…It was the shell that he had cast off, Kylo reminded himself. This version had died when he killed Snoke.

This version was dead here too, Kylo realised. No breathing. He gave a snort of a laugh. Of course, Hux would kill him in his subconscious, the only place he ever had a hope of doing so.

Kylo started as the man with fire for a head swiped at him, catching Kylo on his arm. Irritated, Kylo turned and reached out with the Force, pulling the figure apart into oblivion. This wasn’t what he was here for. He needed to find Hux. That was the point of this exercise but he was nowhere to be found. All of his training in meditation, told him to follow the path to wherever it led, so he did. He walked along, ignoring skulls and helmets and empty bottles floating through the air. The debris thickened as he walked the path and Kylo had to push his way through to advance. What kind of mind was this?

Batting away objects, Kylo made it through into a clearing finally, his gaze drawn upwards as he saw gleaming white crystal, thousands of feet tall. There was nothing else as far as the eye could see but the path backwards. The pillar of crystal was singular. He walked closer to it, wondering whether he could cut it down. Touching his hands to the smooth surface, he found something like a groove in the pillar. Examining it, he realised it was a foothold and that there was another one right next to it. Gritting his teeth, he started his ascent. He wasn’t sure how much time was passing on the outside but if he actually wanted to do any damage. He’d promised Hux a punishment, to not deliver was to look weak.

He clawed his way up, his hands numb against the cold of the crystal. The top of the crystal was still out of sight. Was there an end to this? He looked down and saw the path below in miniature, almost losing his grasp of the rock. Grunting, he pulled himself up with increased vigour, moving at a pace that would be unwise for most. After a long and concerted effort, the top peaked over and he could see…someone standing above. The thought of victory propelled him forward. He would push that weakling down and Hux would wake with a start, sweat-soaked and trembling. Scrambling up to the top, he indeed found himself facing Hux, who was viewing the contents of his own dream with wounded eyes.

He flicked his gaze to Kylo and something like a spark appeared in his eyes. “It took you a while to get here.”

Kylo caught his bearings, steadying himself against the wind that had started to blow. “It’s a long way to fall.”

“I always return here,” said Hux, glacially. “It was kind of you to kill him for me.”

“What?”

“My father. I wonder if he will return tomorrow or if he’s gone for good? Phasma and I killed him years ago but here he always is. I imagine you know something about that too.”

This was a stalling tactic, Kylo decided, and lunged forward, pushing Hux with all his might…Hux’s head fell backwards, his back bending to a painful degree. He screamed in pain but remained planted securely atop the crystal. Kylo blasted him with the Force and the screaming continued. “Stop, please stop. I’ll execute the plan. Just stop. Stop, Supreme Leader.”

Kylo did stop. Hux’s begging gave him a degree satisfaction but he knew that it wouldn’t last: if he thought his life was in danger, he might stoop to beg, but the submission was never permanent. As soon as the immediate threat was over, he’d go back to his old ways like nothing had happened.  No, he’d stopped because he needed to evaluate why the hell Hux wasn’t falling. Looking down gave him the solution he needed: crystal covered Hux’s feet, encasing them completely. He wondered whether it would be possible to break the crystal but he heard Hux’s voice ringing in his ears: “I think it’s too late now.”

Kylo woke up to the sound of Hux’s alarm, breathing heavily. Anger spiralled in his chest. Failure, failure, failure. He pushed aside his covers, pulling on his robes. He had promised punishment and that was what Hux was going to get. His mind had been like no other than Kylo had ever seen before, seemingly impossible to simply push into wakefulness, but he responded to pain: that he knew.

Once he might have sought wisdom from Snoke. A long time ago, he would have gone to Luke. Now his only teacher was his own fury. He stormed down the hallways, bursting into Hux’s quarters. Hux looked up at him, resigned yet still afraid. Good. That was good. Kylo grabbed him by the shoulder, forcing his half-dressed body out into the hallway. Officers, who had been streaming down the corridors, stopped dead in their tracks. Good. Let them watch.

Kylo forced Hux down onto his knees. Without the benefit of a shirt, it was easy to see just how much his shrunken body was shaking. His failures were marked all over his body, his scars like tally marks of all the mistakes he'd ever made. Some of the injuries Kylo recognised as his own. Others were much older.

“Didn’t I say I’d follow the plans?” Hux said, no expression in his voice. He knew it wasn’t going to stop Kylo – he was saying it for everyone else’s benefit.

That only angered Kylo more and he struck him across the face, once twice, three times. He grabbed a fistful of lank red hair and gave Hux a swift kick to the face, the nose blooming red once again. Hux gargled in the blood, choking and spluttering pathetically. He grabbed his head up again, looking straight into his eyes.

“You’re no good to me if you can’t follow orders,” he said, keeping his voice calm. Hux was the show here. Hux was the loose cannon. “You can either prove your loyalty or you can perish.” He breathed in, adrenaline coursing through his bloodstream. “Kiss my boots.”

“What?” Hux croaked, colour coming to his cheeks.

“I thought you were meant to be smart? You heard what I said. Submit or I break every bone in your body one by one before I dispose of you altogether.”

Hux flinched. Bowing his head slowly, wincing at the pain as his nose knocked up against the boot, he brought his lips down upon the black leather. His eyes were screwed shut. He held the position for a good minute and Kylo revelled in the sight of him, humiliated before him, before everyone. Hux lifted his head slightly, not giving Kylo the pleasure of looking to him for reassurance that his act of penance was enough. It was a barb under the skin, a sign that it hadn’t truly taken, but the kiss was enough for now.

Who could put their faith in such a pathetic creature? Holos of the incident would circulate the fleet in minutes and everyone could watch the degradation of General Starkiller.

There was something else too, the flicker of something in his mind, like Hux was remembering something from long ago. He hadn’t been able to see exactly what but he knew there was something there. Something to pursue. Forget sleep, Kylo was going to go after the waking mind instead.

 

* * *

 

 

He observed Hux closely for the next few days and found him much the same as ever. There was a moment of hesitation before he spoke now but speak he did. He’d held off on arguments for the most part but that he still fundamentally disagreed was clear. Despite themselves, the officers couldn’t look at him now without thinking of him like that, on his knees, kissing Kylo’s boots and he could feel a sneer in their pity now. He knew that Hux felt it too. Kylo had truly given him a reason to fear for his position, his life. Nevertheless, he received a private meeting request from Hux several days later. He had had to read it over several times to really believe it. Hux was requesting a private meeting with him. Was he suicidal? He could extract that information from his mind and everything else he needed when they met but he couldn’t imagine what explanation he could possibly find there. Hux should shrink from him, not ask to put himself right in the line of danger. Was he going to grovel finally? Was he going to concede defeat? Kylo would prefer it if it were public but he knew better than to hope for even a private confession.

He replied to the message, accepting the meeting request, a strange heavy feeling in his stomach.

 

* * *

 

 

When the hour of the meeting came, Hux was already waiting for him, looking the best he had done in...well, a few days anyway. The swelling of his face was receding and he was beginning to look like his ghostly self again. His hair was slicked back firmly and there was a stack of papers in front of him. His face was set into a mask of resolve.

He stood up when Kylo entered. “Supreme Leader.”

“General Hux. What’s the meaning of this exactly?”

He took a gulp – there were more nerves than usual. “Supreme Leader, I have taken the liberty of preparing several strategies we could pursue in order to settle our Empire, whilst taking steps to wipe out the Resistance.”

“This is bold General,” Kylo said, snatching the papers from Hux’s hand. These were the plans from the other night! “What makes me think I’d be interested in your plans? I told you that we were to funnel all of our resources into finding the Resistance and Rey.”

“What do you actually want from me?” Hux asked.

“I think I’ve made that quite clear, General,” said Kylo, letting him hear the edge in his voice. How many times were they going to play this game?

“No. You haven’t. I was given this position to command and strategise. I don’t do either: just parrot your words to my men.” He shook his head. “Why are you wasting all this time on me? Kill me and install a puppet loyal to you in my place.”

“You have the respect of the troops,” said Kylo. “Not that you deserve it,” he added too late when he realised that he was actually stooping to argue with Hux.

“And you’ve done everything possible to strip me of that respect,” said Hux, bitterly. “Look, you’re the leader now, so what benefits the Order benefits you. I don’t come up with plans to sabotage the Order.”

Kylo sat forward, reminded of something. “That’s right. My little display. It’s funny. I felt something in your mind then. Something like…familiarity.” He started to tug at Hux’s mind, zipping right past any defences he might have, trying to follow the thread he’d seen in his mind. At this point the sound of Hux’s pain was just background noise, so Kylo ignored the screams and burrowed ever deeper. And then…he found exactly what he needed. Exactly what he’d never expected to find until the moment he found it.

Hux was on his knees, collar undone. His face was flushed, though it wasn’t clear whether with passion or shame. Standing before him was a man with dark hair wearing a First Order uniform. The pips on his collar indicated he was an admiral. Kylo leant into the memory, sure of what he was about to see before he saw it. Hux reached for the man’s belt and started to unbuckle it. His eyes looked like stone as he started his task.

Kylo drew back, smirking. “And now I know how you gained your position.”

Hux’s breathing hitched. “It was a strategic move. It worked.”

“Really?” Kylo saw it. The decisive move. The final strike. “Then you wouldn’t mind doing it again? You want me to consider your plans, what are you going to give me for it?”

“I find it astounding that you would dream of letting your cock anywhere near my mouth. Who’s to say I won’t bite?” His clipped tone made the crudeness of the words sound false in his mouth.

“That’s an excuse,” Kylo shot back. “Either you’re going to do it, or you aren’t. It’s up to you.”

Hux shot him a look of extreme patronisation and got on the floor before him. “Is this what turns you on?”

It did, despite his negative levels of attraction to Hux. He was the master now. They all grovelled before him. No-one could ever reject him again. With nimble fingers, Hux undid the fastenings of Kylo’s trousers. It was odd, Kylo would have thought they’d be shaking. There was something almost clinical about the way he pulled Kylo’s cock out of his trousers and started sucking on the head. Kylo expected more objection: they hated each other but Hux seemed to look through him altogether. He slid his mouth up and down the shaft and Kylo felt a groan escape his lips. He hadn’t expected to enjoy the physical aspect of this quite as much as he did. Hux did a good approximation of someone enthusiastic but all he could feel in Hux’s mind was that damn crystal, blocking everything off. Hux looked directly up at Kylo for the first time, his gaze utterly unwavering, and Kylo saw white.

Hux swallowed and got up, neatening up the piles of his plans. He placed them before Kylo and then turned to leave.

Kylo panted, trying to catch his breath. He wasn’t going to let Hux just get away like that. It was time to twist the knife, to force Hux to think about what he had just done. “You suck the cock like a whore. It’s pathetic.  You’re that much of a shameless suck up that you’d you’d let your worst enemy come inside your mouth, all for the chance that he’d read some reports you wrote?”

Hux turned, tilting his head. “The plans are important to me. Why should I be ashamed when you’re the one who came in two minutes flat? Or are you proud of your lack of experience? You should look at yourself – so undone. I suppose this was the only way you could get it.”

Kylo’s arm flew out automatically, smacking Hux into a chair.

Hux crashed to the floor, his legs tangled in those of the chair, his arms reaching out to shield his face this time. Almost immediately, he got back up. “Strike a nerve, did I? But you still won’t kill me.  You’re burning everything down but yet you cling to my presence like a parasite.”

Kylo pushed him down again, rubbing his nose into the ground. “How many times do I have to do this?”

Whimpering in pain, Hux started to get to his feet.

Kylo pressed him back down again with the weight of all his Force. “Stay down!”

Hux gasped under the pressure. If Kylo kept on pushing, he could crush his organs. He squeezed one last time and eased off. Hux lay breathing heavily on the ground, the rag doll again. For all his climbing, this was who he’d always be. Just a pawn.

The lesson was over.

Kylo got up to leave.

Staggering, Hux got up to meet him, blocking his exit, his face a mess of colour. “We’re not done,” he wheezed. "Because I realised something."

“I’m starting to think you like this, General,” Kylo sneered, though inside he despaired. What else could he do but kill Hux? That felt like defeat somehow. That felt like giving up. He couldn't do that. "Is that what this is? You provoke me because you want me to beat you back down?"

“You’re a fool, Ben Solo,” Hux spat. “And I’ll always be stronger than you.”

He lifted his hand, tightening it into a fist. “Is that so? Do you need another demonstration of my strength?”

Hux ignored him. “I thought you might have figured this out by now. You’re faithless, Ben Solo, and that’s why you’ll always be weak. You're hollow inside.” A spluttering cough erupted from his mouth, his entire body shaking. “The First Order is everything I am, now and always. For the chance to restore order to the galaxy, I will endure anything.”

Kylo stood paralysed. No. This couldn’t be. He wasn't supposed to feel like this ever again. "You'd say anything to justify your own ambition," he said, faltering over his words. 

“Do not confuse me with you. You left the Jedi, thinking you’d find your place with Snoke, but lo and behold you destroyed the master you pledged your life to. You even destroyed that mask you used to cling to in the hopes it would make a Vader of you. But every face you've ever worn has only ever been a mask.” He laughed and it immediately turned to another deep cough. “How long do you think you’ll last in the Order? How long before you betray yourself?”

“I’m the Supreme Leader now,” Kylo growled. "This was who I was always supposed to be."

“You have to convince yourself you’re better than me because you know you need my conviction. You need it to steady yourself. To pretend that you know what you’re going to do. Well, we’ve been following your leadership for weeks now and have we found the girl? Or your mother? You’re too fickle a disciple, so you lack the belief necessary to lead. You’re nothing, Ben Solo, just a collection of impulses.” He stumbled past him, picking up the plans again. Without so much as a tremble of fear, he walked right up to Kylo and placed them directly in his hands. “I suggest you read these. I think you might need them.”

And with that, he walked out of the room. Kylo didn't follow. He just stood there, heart like a black hole. There was no-one to turn to. He'd made sure of that himself. No-one except...

It was unthinkable but he'd just thought it. Hux had forced him to think it. 

 

* * *

 

Hux wasn't surprised when Kylo Ren turned up at his quarters.

"If what you said is true, then what's to stop me from betraying you? It seems like poor strategy on your part, General."

"I'm not interested in the Force. I'll leave that to you. You'll be your own master in that arena but you _need_ me as long as you want to create order in the galaxy, you need my clarity of purpose to guide you. Even so, there's nothing I can do to stop you from changing your mind about that. Perhaps all you really want is to destroy everything and everyone you've ever touched." Hux's contempt was apparent in his tone. 

Kylo shook despite himself. "I want a new order to rise." He wanted to say that he'd always want it but the seed of doubt was planted deep in his heart. 

Hux looked at him, clear-eyed. "Then let's get started, Supreme Leader."

 

**Author's Note:**

> The new film has given us all at a lot to think about with regards to Kylux - this is my first reaction to how the relationship might develop from TLJ onwards. Luckily, I love classic Kylux, so I had a lot of fun with this. 
> 
> Comments are love <3 Please let me know what you think!


End file.
